Security screening process of pre-recruitment candidates and existing employees

Pre-employment screening is the background checking of staff, contractors, agency personnel and other people with access to the organisation's assets. Checks are conducted to validate and verify information provided by the screening candidate to ensure that they have provided an honest and factual representation to enable organisations to make the best hiring decisions.

Individuals who have access to government assets are required to be checked against the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS).

The BPSS and supporting guidance describe the mandatory pre-employment controls required to address the problems of identity fraud, illegal working and deception generally. As well as posing serious risks to reputation, integrity and financial assets they may also be indicators of more serious national security concerns.

The screening process requires that the screening candidate provides information, usually via an online system and/or the submission of electronic documents that are then validated and cross checked to ensure that the information is correct. These checks will include reference to legal and robust sources to ensure that the information obtained relates to the named person to ensure fairness to the screening candidate and validated information to assist the organisation in making the correct decision.

Additional checks are added for specific roles, for example, a driver's licence check for the organisation's drivers.

Time scales for "Baseline" screens will be a very important element of the screening service and must meet the HR SLA screen turn around target days (Level A,B,C,D, F - 4 working days , Level E - 2 working days , Level G - 8 working days) which we currently use. This does not include the time spent waiting for the candidate to upload information, waiting for references or the time it takes to complete the criminal record checks

The successful supplier must be able to provide a 'white label type service' for the handling and management of UK SBS and UKRI users of the service. This requirements is to provide a UK SBS branded extranet system that will be used to collect and interact with users of the service. The successful supplier must have the ability to interface with the new Oracle Taleo Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or be prepared to build this capability. The ATS is planned to be implemented during Q1 2020. Taleo is a cloud-based ATS that is used to manage the talent acquisition processes.

All submissions will be assessed in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, for procurement values that exceed Regulation 5 (Threshold amounts). This procurement will be managed electronically via the e-sourcing portal Delta. The Contracting Authority expressly reserves the right(i) not to award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by publication of this notice; and (ii) to make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the procurement; and in no circumstances will the Contracting Authority be liable for any costs incurred by any Supplier.

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